The security footage loops in my mind for hours after.
Marcus being dragged away. His desperate shouts. The way his voice broke on my name.
I'm still staring at my laptop screen when Dominic returns to the conference room. His expression is unreadable as always—composed, controlled, like he didn't just have my ex-fiancé forcibly removed from the building.
"He won't be back." He closes the door behind him. "I've issued a formal trespass warning. If he returns, he'll be arrested."
"You had him thrown out like garbage." My voice sounds hollow even to my own ears.
"I had him escorted out like the unstable man he proved himself to be." Dominic walks to the window, hands in his pockets. "He created a scene in front of witnesses. Made wild accusations without evidence. That's not the behavior of someone rational."
"He's heartbroken—"
"He's obsessed." Dominic turns to face me. "And before you defend him, remember that his obsession is destructive. Mine, at least, builds empires."
The casual way he admits to being obsessed should alarm me more than it does.
"What happens now?" I ask.
"Now?" He moves closer, his footsteps deliberate on the polished floor. "Now we continue. You work. I work. We maintain professionalism in public. And we wait for this to blow over."
"And if it doesn't blow over? If Marcus keeps pushing?"
"Then I make him disappear." His voice is matter-of-fact. "Not literally. But professionally, socially, financially—I can make him irrelevant."
"That's—"
"Survival." He stops in front of me. "You need to understand something, Bella. The world we're in now—the choice you made—it requires ruthlessness. Marcus is a threat to both of us. Threats get eliminated."
I should be horrified. Should recognize this as the moment I need to walk away.
But I'm exhausted. And the truth is, a part of me is relieved that Dominic is willing to handle the things I can't.
"I'm tired," I whisper.
"I know." His hand reaches out, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. A gentle gesture that contradicts his ruthless words. "Go home. Sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Where do I go?" The question comes out small. "I can't go back to the apartment I shared with Marcus."
Something shifts in his expression. "You haven't moved your things out yet?"
"I haven't had time to think about—"
"You're not going back there." His voice becomes firm. "I have a property in the city. A penthouse. Fully furnished. You'll stay there."
"Dominic, I can't just—"
"You can. You will." His hand settles on my shoulder. "I'm not letting you go back to a place filled with memories of him. You need space to think. To process. To adjust to your new reality."
"My new reality being...?"
His eyes are dark, possessive. "Being mine."
THE PENTHOUSE
The building is in the most expensive district of the city. Glass and steel rising into the sky like a monument to wealth and power.
Dominic's driver takes me there after work. The doorman already has my name. The elevator requires a special key card that Dominic provided.
"Mr. Ashford called ahead, Ms. Chen," the doorman says with a professional smile. "Your things will be delivered tomorrow morning."
"My things?"
"From your previous residence. Mr. Ashford arranged for a moving service."
He did what?
The elevator ride to the penthouse is silent except for the soft music. When the doors open directly into the apartment, I step into a space that makes my breath catch.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. Minimalist furniture that probably costs more than my yearly salary. A kitchen that looks barely used. A bedroom with a bed so large it seems obscene.
Everything is perfect. Everything is sterile. Everything screams of Dominic's control.
My phone buzzes.
Dominic: Do you like it?
I look around at the cameras I know must be there. He's watching me even now.
Me: You're having my things moved without asking me?
Dominic: You can't go back there. I'm making it easier for you. Trust me.
Me: Trust is earned, not demanded.
Dominic: Then let me earn it. Stay there tonight. See how it feels to be somewhere he's never been. Somewhere that's just ours.
Ours. Not mine. Ours.
I should be angry. Should assert my independence. Should demand he stop making decisions for me.
Instead, I walk to the massive window and look out at the city lights.
Me: Okay. One night.
Dominic: That's all I ask. For now.
THE FIRST NIGHT ALONE
I don't sleep.
The bed is too comfortable. The silence is too complete. The absence of Marcus—his snoring, his warmth, his familiar presence—is too noticeable.
Instead, I wander the penthouse at 2 AM, opening cabinets, exploring spaces, trying to understand the man who owns this place.
Everything is expensive. Everything is perfect. Everything is cold.
Except the master bathroom. There, I find something human: a bottle of cologne I recognize. Dominic's scent. He's stayed here. This isn't just an investment property. This is his space.
And he's given it to me.
Or trapped me here.
I can't tell the difference anymore.
My phone buzzes. A text from Dominic.
Dominic: You're awake.
Me: How do you know?
Dominic: I always know.
Me: Are there cameras here?
Dominic: No. But I know you well enough to know you're not sleeping. You're exploring. Trying to find clues about who I am.
He's right. Of course he's right.
Me: And what will I find?
Dominic: That I'm exactly who I've always been. Someone who wants you so completely that I've reorganized my entire life around having you.
Me: That's not healthy.
Dominic: No. But it's honest. Go to bed, Bella. Tomorrow will be difficult. You need rest.
Me: Why will tomorrow be difficult?
Dominic: Because HR will continue their investigation. Because Marcus will likely escalate. Because you'll have to maintain our lie in front of people who suspect the truth.
Me: You make it sound like a war.
Dominic: It is. And we're going to win. Together. Now sleep.
The text ends. He doesn't give me a chance to argue.
I go to bed. And somehow, despite everything, I sleep.
DAY TWO: THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES
Morning arrives too quickly.
I dress in the clothes that were already in the closet—new clothes, expensive brands, all in my size. Dominic thought of everything.
At the office, the tension is palpable. People whisper when I walk past. They know something happened with Marcus. They're speculating.
Sarah from accounting corners me in the break room again.
"So Marcus showed up yesterday screaming about you and Ashford." She's not subtle. "Is it true? Are you two...?"
"No." The lie comes easier now. "Marcus and I broke up. He's not handling it well."
"But Ashford—"
"Is my boss. That's all." I pour coffee I don't want. "People are reading too much into a professional relationship."
She looks skeptical but doesn't push further.
At 10 AM, I'm called back to HR. Richard Chen is there with another woman—Legal.
"Ms. Chen, thank you for meeting with us again." Richard's expression is carefully neutral. "This is Jennifer Walsh from our legal department. She has some follow-up questions."
Jennifer opens a folder. "We've spoken with several employees who witnessed your interactions with Mr. Ashford. They've noted... unusual closeness. Physical contact. Extended private meetings."
My stomach drops. "We work closely together. That requires—"
"We understand." Jennifer's voice is professional but firm. "However, we need to ensure there's no impropriety. Mr. Bennett has also provided phone records showing text messages between you and Mr. Ashford at unusual hours."
Shit. The midnight texts.
"Work-related communications." I keep my voice steady. "Mr. Ashford has global clients. Different time zones require—"
"At midnight? Multiple times a week?" Jennifer's eyebrow raises.
"When there are urgent matters, yes."
They exchange a look.
"Ms. Chen, I'm going to be direct." Jennifer leans forward. "If there is a relationship between you and Mr. Ashford, disclosing it now would be in everyone's best interest. We're not here to punish consensual relationships. We're here to ensure proper protocols are followed."
They're giving me an out. A chance to tell the truth and face minimal consequences.
But telling the truth means Dominic faces investigation. Possible termination. Scandal that destroys his company.
"There is no relationship." The lie is firm. Final. "Marcus is creating a narrative that doesn't exist. If my colleagues have misinterpreted professional interactions, that's unfortunate. But I assure you, everything has been appropriate."
Jennifer makes notes. "Very well. We'll continue our investigation. You're free to go."
I leave on shaking legs.
THE TEXT FROM DOMINIC
Back at my desk, my phone buzzes.
Dominic: How did it go?
Me: They have the midnight texts. Witness statements about physical contact. They're building a case.
Dominic: And what did you tell them?
Me: What you told me to. That nothing inappropriate happened.
Dominic: Good girl.
The praise shouldn't make my stomach flip. But it does.
Dominic: Meet me on the roof at lunch. We need to talk privately.
Me: The roof?
Dominic: No cameras. No witnesses. Just us. 12:30.
THE ROOFTOP
The roof access is locked to most employees. But Dominic's key card opens everything.
When I emerge onto the rooftop garden, he's already there. Standing at the edge, looking out over the city. The wind catches his hair, and for a moment he looks less like a CEO and more like a man carrying the weight of something heavy.
"Thank you for lying for me." He doesn't turn around. "I know it's not easy."
"It's getting easier." I'm not sure if that's good or bad. "That should terrify me."
"But it doesn't." Now he turns. "Because you're starting to understand what I understood three years ago. That what we have is worth protecting. Worth fighting for. Worth lying for."
"What do we have, Dominic?" I need to hear him say it. "Beyond obsession and control and this... intensity?"
He walks toward me slowly. "We have honesty. Real, brutal honesty about who we are. You don't have to pretend with me. You don't have to be the good girl who makes safe choices. You can be the woman who challenges me. Who matches my intensity. Who isn't afraid of the darkness."
His hands find my face, cradling it gently. "That's what we have, Bella. Permission to be who we really are."
"And who are you really?"
"A man who will burn the world down to keep you." His eyes are completely serious. "A man who's willing to lie, manipulate, and destroy anyone who threatens what we're building. A man who's obsessed with you in ways that probably qualify as mental illness."
He's not joking. He's not exaggerating.
"And who am I?" I whisper.
"The woman who chose me anyway." His thumb traces my lips. "The woman who looked at all my darkness and decided it was better than everyone else's light."
He kisses me then. Up on the roof where anyone from a nearby building could see. Where the risk is real but somehow that makes it more intense.
When we break apart, we're both breathing hard.
"This is just the beginning," he says against my lips. "Marcus won't stop. HR won't stop. There will be more investigations, more confrontations, more people trying to separate us."
"I know."
"And you're still choosing me?"
I should hesitate. Should think about this. Should consider what I'm signing up for.
"Yes."
His smile is dark and possessive and absolutely certain.
"Then let's show them exactly what they're up against."